Whether you are listening to podcasts, or reading social media posts, it appears ‘virtually’ impossible to avoid the word ‘virtual’ in one context or another. Socially, it could be a ‘virtual happy hour’; in a medical context you may read about a ‘virtual colonoscopy’; computer scientists refer to ‘virtual machine environments’. Business is no exception to this trend, with ‘virtual assistants’, ‘virtual receptionists’ and, ‘virtual administrators’.
The definition of 'virtual'
If one refers to online dictionaries, it appears there are two principal meanings associated with the word ‘virtual’ and we have met both of them in the opening paragraph of this article. The first meaning is generic, with ‘virtual’ defined as, ‘…almost or nearly as described, but not completely according to strict definition’. An example could be:
‘Britain came to a virtual standstill during the Royal Wedding’.
The second definition of virtual is very much specific to computing: ‘…being on, or simulated on, a computer or computer network; occurring or existing primarily online.’ Virtual, in a computing sense, was first referenced as far back as 1959, and ‘virtual reality’ has been in the lexicon since the mid-1980s.
Paperclip avoids the use of 'virtual'
When searching online for call answering, reception desk services or admin support some people do look for virtual call answering or virtual receptionists. As a general rule, Paperclip has avoided using ‘virtual’ to describe the services it provides. There are essentially two reasons we have adopted this approach.
A virtual tour of The Vatican?
Firstly, in some people’s minds, ‘virtual’ has connotations of being the less favourable of two options. If one goes on a ‘virtual tour’ of, for example, The Vatican, the tour may be interesting and educational, but it cannot ever truly replicate the real thing, even if it takes place in a ‘virtual reality’ environment.
The caller's perception of the service they receive from Paperclip is very real indeed
The objective is to listen carefully to the caller’s challenge and help and support them to achieve the desired outcome.
This may be as simple as taking a message or, if it is a call for one of our primary care or allied healthcare clients, as complex as rearranging an appointment in real time on the practice’s management software. Whilst the service we provide is facilitated by IT and telecommunications, the caller’s perception of it is very real indeed.
Virtual Receptionist? Language is evolving all the time
A second reason for shying away from ‘virtual receptionist’ or ‘virtual administrator’ is that language changes over time. In the case of ‘virtual’, it is increasingly becoming a surrogate term for automated. So, for example, a ‘virtual receptionist’ could be perceived as a service provided by an AI-powered chatbot with no human interaction for the caller at all.
Whilst there may be a role for chatbots in some contexts, it is anathema to the approach we have adopted at Paperclip since we started out back in 2008. At Paperclip, we believe in the value to the caller of ‘being heard’, of the rich emotional content of verbal communications, of being treated with respect.
At Paperclip we will always do our best to help you achieve your goals
If these values – being heard, treated with respect – resonate with the way you wish to engage with your clients and prospects, then it would be worth having an open ‘non-virtual’ conversation with the Paperclip team. Whatever the challenges you are facing in your business, we will always do our best to help you achieve your goals.
To contact us at Paperclip, please call 01246 418 181. As you would expect, we will be ready for your call.
Hi, I’m Louise Bellwood, Director at Paperclip. I am responsible for delivering Paperclip’s customer service and growth strategies for 2024 and beyond, I am a crusader for the benefits call answering can deliver for organisations of all kinds; customer service, sales generation, customer retention and more. If you have a question about call answering – pricing, set-up, benefits – I would love to hear from you at louise@paperclip.co.uk or 01246 418 181.